Raw Vegan Vanilla Doughnuts

So, I am back with a recipe after a long time. Take a look at my raw vegan vanilla doughnuts;

#Raw #Gluten-free #Refined-sugar free #Nocook and yet quite bread-y!

For some years now I have been considering a raw-vegan diet. I also found that while ‘considering’ is very easy, the temptations of cooked food is very very strong, and difficult to give up totally. What happened was this. I would make myself something raw and cook for the rest of the family and then I would end up eating both. Naturally, the result at the end of a year was not the same as envisioned.

Anyway, I am starting again, this time I am trying to eat two raw meals a day and one cooked meal. It has been only a week or so, but I am getting more creative this time. Earlier my raw meals were mostly salads drizzled with one of the many sauces already on the blog. My favourite remains the cashew parsley dip. But then, I was never a salad person and that I think was the main reason why I kept going back to cooked food. Salads never made me as full as grains. I still like salads but in small portions. Now, I make actual raw meals such as rice and gravy, cakes, cookies etc. None of them taste the same as cooked versions but they taste good and leave similar mouth feel.

This morning I made raw doughnuts. There was no prior planning. In fact, I didn’t know I would make doughnuts till the wee hours of the morning and I remembered the soaked macadamia nuts that needed to go into an ice cream. I got up to churn it but the blender didn’t do a good job as the quantity was very little. That is when I decided to add in a few more things and turn it into a filling breakfast. I glazed it as well. 🙂 Though raw, the doughnuts are filling. These may not have the texture of regular doughnuts but taste quite bread-y, and are easy to prepare. Do try. The doughnuts freeze well and can be thawed when needed, but are best eaten fresh.

In a chutney jar or small blender (as the quantity is very less) pulse the nuts till it breaks down to small bits.

Tip in the chia seeds, oats, maple syrup (1 tsp.), salt and vanilla paste. Pulse. Stop to scrape the sides back into the centre. Give a good mix and pulse again. Repeat till the dough comes together.

Empty the contents into a clean bowl and mix with your hands. Taste for sweetness. The dough should have just a hint of sweetness – as sweet as doughnuts taste without the glaze. If needed drizzle a little maple syrup and blend with your fingers. Divide the dough into six spherical balls.

Wet the muslin cloth and spread it over clean counter or clean chopping board.

Pat each dough ball into 1cm thick cookie. Make a hole in the centre with your index finger. If the sides crack, just stick the dough together.

Place the doughnuts in the refrigerator till you make the glaze.

To make the glaze: Place the ingredients in a chutney jar. Add 1/4 cup of water and blend into a smooth icing.

To serve, remove doughnuts and liberally drizzle with the icing. Or, don’t restrict it to a ‘drizzle’. Make lots of it. Dunk the doughnuts. Spoon some more glaze and lick on. 🙂

This recipe is also perfect for Winter, for in-between snacks or for breakfast. What is not to like?

Apart from being co-founder of hariniandharsha.com, Harini is a vegan food photographer and recipe developer who earlier blogged at tongueticklers.com. Her love for photography includes people and events. She enjoys feeding birds, loves reading, is crazy about films and TV series, loves music and takes pride in being a 70s child. She draws inspiration from memories of childhood, lunch-boxes and tiffin breaks, and movies, and believes in free-cycling.